© Ann McCallum Staats, All Rights Reserved, please contact the author for permission to use or re-print any part of this website
About
Ann grew up outside a small village in British Columbia, Canada. She spent winter weekends
skiing, spring weekends hauling firewood with her family (to heat their house), and summer
days swimming in the lake in front of her house. She went to college in Victoria on
Vancouver Island, and then, the summer she graduated, she and a friend rode on a 6-week
bicycle trip down the coast of the U.S., bringing a tent and other gear to camp along the
way.
Her first job was in one of B.C.’s last one-room schoolhouses located in the northern
section of the province. There she experienced the northern lights, wolves howling in the
distance, and, once, a bear roaming through the schoolyard. After one beautiful year, she
moved to Maryland where she taught elementary math and first thought of writing
children’s book. Before she had a chance, she and her family moved overseas to the United
Arab Emirates (UAE).
Finally! Ann was happy to be somewhere with good skiing again. This time, though, the
skiing was on a sand dune instead of snow. Four and a half years in the Middle East was an
adventure filled with dhou cruises (a kind of boat), dune bashing in the desert (riding a jeep
through hills of sand), and experiencing a culture like no other. There, interested in how
different cultures solve similar problems, she wrote her first book “The Secret Life of Math.”
In it, she laid out to kids how people all over the world and throughout history have solved
real life problems using innovative methods.
Life back in the US took some adjusting to. Ann soon secured a job, at a high school this
time, in Maryland. Now she was teaching ESOL—English to Speakers of Other Languages. In
between, she wrote a couple of math fairytales and her “Eat your Homework” series. This
was especially fun since she got to experiment in the kitchen with recipes like Sedimentary
Pizza Lasagna and Tessellating Two-Color Brownies. Her family helped her eat the leftovers!
Ann’s husband, Rich, is an officer in the military. It was this that sparked her next idea,
a book on women’s roles in the US Army from earliest times until today. The book launch for
“Women Heroes of the US Army” took place at the Women’s Memorial next to Arlington
Cemetery with several high-ranking V.I.P’s in attendance.
Next up was a book on extreme sports, with a focus again on women. “Thrill Seekers: 15
Remarkable Women in Extreme Sports” was another opportunity for Ann to meet a number
of go-for-it women who were as inspirational to her as they will hopefully be to her readers.
Today, Ann continues to teach and write. She is forever and deeply grateful for her
beautiful family who motivate her every day. When not writing or teaching, Ann loves a
good walk in the woods, travel, or a chance to try something new. She recently checked off
skydiving and Indy car racing from her bucket list. What’s next? Who knows, except that the
sky’s the limit!
© Ann McCallum Staats, All Rights Reserved, please contact the author for
permission to use or re-print any part of this website
About
Ann grew up outside a small
village in British Columbia,
Canada. She spent winter
weekends skiing, spring
weekends hauling firewood
with her family (to heat their
house), and summer days
swimming in the lake in front
of her house. She went to
college in Victoria on
Vancouver Island, and then,
the summer she graduated,
she and a friend rode on a 6-
week bicycle trip down the
coast of the U.S., bringing a
tent and other gear to camp
along the way.
Her first job was in one of
B.C.’s last one-room
schoolhouses located in the
northern section of the
province. There she
experienced the northern
lights, wolves howling in the
distance, and, once, a bear
roaming through the
schoolyard. After one
beautiful year, she moved to
Maryland where she taught
elementary math and first
thought of writing children’s
book. Before she had a
chance, she and her family
moved overseas to the United
Arab Emirates (UAE).
Finally! Ann was happy to
be somewhere with good
skiing again. This time,
though, the skiing was on a
sand dune instead of snow.
Four and a half years in the
Middle East was an adventure
filled with dhou cruises (a
kind of boat), dune bashing in
the desert (riding a jeep
through hills of sand), and
experiencing a culture like no
other. There, interested in
how different cultures solve
similar problems, she wrote
her first book “The Secret Life
of Math.” In it, she laid out to
kids how people all over the
world and throughout history
have solved real life problems
using innovative methods.
Life back in the US took
some adjusting to. Ann soon
secured a job, at a high school
this time, in Maryland. Now
she was teaching
ESOL—English to Speakers of
Other Languages. In between,
she wrote a couple of math
fairytales and her “Eat your
Homework” series. This was
especially fun since she got to
experiment in the kitchen
with recipes like Sedimentary
Pizza Lasagna and Tessellating
Two-Color Brownies. Her
family helped her eat the
leftovers!
Ann’s husband, Rich, is an
officer in the military. It was
this that sparked her next
idea, a book on women’s roles
in the US Army from earliest
times until today. The book
launch for “Women Heroes of
the US Army” took place at
the Women’s Memorial next
to Arlington Cemetery with
several high-ranking V.I.P’s in
attendance.
Next up was a book on
extreme sports, with a focus
again on women. “Thrill
Seekers: 15 Remarkable
Women in Extreme Sports”
was another opportunity for
Ann to meet a number of go-
for-it women who were as
inspirational to her as they
will hopefully be to her
readers.
Today, Ann continues to
teach and write. She is forever
and deeply grateful for her
beautiful family who motivate
her every day. When not
writing or teaching, Ann loves
a good walk in the woods,
travel, or a chance to try
something new. She recently
checked off skydiving and
Indy car racing from her
bucket list. What’s next? Who
knows, except that the sky’s
the limit!
